Wednesday, January 27, 2010

kids menu

We're on vacation which means eating out more often. We are lucky to be sharing a condo with a kitchen so we can have some decent, cheaper and reliable meals (the breakfast buffet at the resort is $20 a person!) We've had salads and chicken, sandwiches and chips, beans and avocados. We can also keep snack food on hand like boiled eggs, yogurt, shrimp, blocks of cheese, crackers, fruit etc.
What makes me crazy are the kids' menus at restaurants. At least a few of them include pasta and marinara, but the standard fare of chicken fingers, fries and hotdogs rule the day. Don't get me wrong, we (all) had hotdogs for lunch yesterday and Mac n Cheese is for dinner tomorrow, but the assumption that kids can't or won't eat the food their parents eat is a self-fulfilling prophesy.

MAC N CHEESE FRIES CHICKEN FINGERS

Two nights ago we were at a steak, seafood and sushi place. M tried the pickled ginger, loved the calamari, licked a hand roll and declared it "ewie." What she really wanted was steak and mashed potatoes. Why restaurants don't provide half portions of regular food is beyond me. (Well, I actually guess it's because the frozen deep-fried fare served to our kids is really cheap for them and means a high profit margin...)
So she had a steak with rice (no mashed potatoes available) and broccoli. We took half home and she had it the next night for dinner. I fried up some mushrooms with a little butter and mixed it with the leftover rice and added some green beans and the steak. She loved it both nights.
What are your food tips when you're away from home?

3 comments:

  1. What we have started to do when eating out is ordering one entree off of the main menu for the boys and they split it. This won't work for you unless you have another baby :)
    Where did you go on vacation?? Hope your having a great time!!

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  2. I remember as a kid, I was generally happy with a kids meal menu. I didn't like steak before age 8. My dad used to make it, and I remember it made my insides feel terrible. I don't know if it was because I was so little or what. But soon enough, my body and tastes changed.

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  3. we often have our kids split an adult size (we have 2 girls, ages 6 and 7). A really big favorite for us when we eat out is buffets, espically "weird" ones. Everybody goes to chinese buffets.....but what about mongolian bbq? japanese steakhouse? mexican buffets? our kids also LOVE chineese and we go to that often as well. I am COMPLETELY against fried foods for a main course. fried foods are snacks, not the main show....our oldest will order fish, brocolli, all sorts of stuff. We ALWAYS look for kids eat free nights. you acn find something at every major chain at least one night a week.

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